Source: Mz Mz

Egyptian authorities recently arrested a woman after discovering she had been married to two men at the same time, Youm 7 reported.

The defendant, now identified as Lamia M., was legally married to one of her husbands, a hotel worker, but also had an urfi (unofficial marriage) contract with the other.

The 25-year-old has since been referred to the country's public prosecution and is set to face a jail sentence since polyandry - a form of polygamy where a woman is married to more than one man - is forbidden under both Egyptian and Islamic law.

The woman said a cleric gave her permission to take a second husband

During her interrogation, the wife reportedly told investigators that she went to a cleric after she fell in love with a man other than her husband.

She claimed that he gave her an edict (fatwa) permitting her to take a second man as her partner via an urfi marriage, which is considered illegal in Egypt. 

The woman's confession led police to communicate with the country's highest Islamic authority, Al Azhar, requesting their help in identifying the cleric.

The defendant is still in detention as investigations into the case continue. 

Not the first time an Egyptian woman faces legal trouble for polyandry

This isn't the first time an Egyptian woman is arrested for being married to more than one man at once. 

Earlier last year, a woman who was married to three men at once for five years was put on trial in Cairo. 

This came after the woman's first husband reported her to authorities upon discovering she was married to two other men.